Cons

How do these cans stack up against the competition? Are they better for DJs or casual listeners? We’ll do our best to highlight the most important features and make sure you have all the facts.

Keep reading our Audio Technica ATH M50 Review to see an in-depth break down and why you might want to consider giving them a try!

Audio Technica ATH M50 Review – Discover The DJ Within!

To be honest with you, I wasn’t expecting the level of sound quality that I’m hearing now as I’m typing this out for you to read. The quality of sound is really what sets different pairs apart from one another, in my opinion.

For this review I listened through Happiness in Self Destruction by The Plot in You. I have my FiiO A3 plugged into my iPod Classic.

The first thing that stuck out to me, sound-wise, was the crispness. These headphones produce an efficient, tight-sounding, crisp sound signature.

These aren’t as balanced as the Beyerdynamic DT 1350s but more so than your average pair of on/over-ears.

Instrumentation and Vocal Accuracy

The guitar slides have a textured, heavy crunch in addition to their tone and melody. The whispered vocals stick out just enough to be audible while not getting in the way and distracting from the song as a whole. You can hear the small sound effects and overall I would say these have a pretty well-balanced sound signature.

Things like durability and comfort are more secondary criteria in my opinion. If a pair of earbuds or headphones sounds unbelievable I’m willing to sit through a little bit of discomfort. In the area of durability, it’s important to take into consideration but isn’t the end all be all. In most cases, as long as you take care of your gear, it will hold up and withstand accidental incidents like a small spill or one or two times of dropping it on the floor.

How Much Bass is TOO MUCH?

Compared to a more bass-heavy, loud, punch to the face (or eardrums) sound that the Crossfade LP2s provide, the ATH-M50Xs are a little more laid back sound-wise.

Compared to a headphone like the Beats Studio Wireless, they don’t pack the same amount of bassy undertones but they don’t underperform either. Listen to a song like the “Wait a Minute Remix” by Phresher ft. 50 Cent and tell me they don’t give you your money’s worth when it comes to bass reproduction.

Comparisons That Give You a Nice Reference Point

Now while this isn’t a comparison review, it’s always nice to have some sort of reference point before you make a decision.

The bass is powerful in a non-overpowering way. If you’ve ever been to a live show and felt the bass drops or blast beats vibrate through your chest it’s a pretty amazing feeling. Picture that but on a smaller scale and less bassy than the LP2s by V-Moda.

The bass production is more than adequate, unless you’re a die-hard bass head who can’t live without skull shattering bass every time you listen.

The clarity of Landon Tewer’s vocals and the vocal tones of 50 Cent’s voice on the Phresher remix is exactly what you should expect if you invest your hard-earned money in a quality set of cans.

I haven’t experienced any noticeable discomfort yet. These headphones are surprisingly light on your head and the ear cups are comfortable enough to wear for longer listening sessions.

90 Degree Ear Cup Swivel

Another awesome feature on these bad boys is the 90 degree ear cup swivel. This comes in handy especially when you have your studio monitors and headphones plugged in.

Sometimes you need to get multiple perspectives on the sound you’re creating or listening to. With these, you have the ability to swivel one ear and make sure the Left or Right ear is producing the exact sound you need or vise versa.

It makes it especially easy to switch back and forth between a studio monitor and your over-ears without having to take the entire pair off of your head. Once again, convenience doing it’s job as promised.

Durability and Breath-ability

I’m also pleased with the breath-ability of the ear cups. I haven’t noticed any sweating or even light condensation build up.

These are durable and should hold up after years of moderate use. As with most headphones, as long as you’re not throwing them against a wall or sitting on them multiple times without realizing it, they should last a while.

Coiled Cable – No Tangled Mess

One feature that some listeners prefer is the ATH-M50X’s detachable coiled cable. This could be for a couple different reasons.

It allows for greater range of motion (due to extended cord length) if you need to stand up and adjust something or record a quick vocal part.

Two, it’s A LOT easier to keep the cord untangled.

The actual cable tends to me more durable and has a heavier feel to it

If you’re wondering if there’s a way to use these for wireless streaming, you’ll enjoy the next section!

Bluetooth Adapter – The Future Is Wireless

Audio Technica also offers a Bluetooth adapter for this model so you can listen the traditional way or if you wanna step into the future you have the option to listen using a wireless connection. Right now it’s being offered at under $50 through Amazon.

Most wired headphones don’t allow you to convert to wireless unless it’s already built-in. Once again, another smart move by a company that listens to the customer’s complaints and responds to help solve the problems that users might experience.

With this wireless adapter, all you have to do is plug the small device into the headphone jack where you would usually plug the coiled cable in. After that, power up your device and pair the adapter with your smartphone or other preferred listening gear that’s Bluetooth compatible.

Convenience is important and adding the ability to convert into wireless is definitely a bonus feature.

Are They Noise-Cancelling?

This is, understandably, a common question worth addressing. Audio-Technica heard the customer speak and responded accordingly. You could use these on the train, a car full of people, walking down the street, or in a crowded room full of people that you’re trying to escape. So to answer that question, YES they are.

I would probably even rate these higher in that area than I would the Beats Studio Wireless. Both have their pros and cons but it’s pretty close.

Compact Folding Design For Easy Storage – Smaller On The Go

The M50s also fold into a small, compact shape that can be easily stored in the nylon drawstring carrying case included. This makes it nice and easy to take your listening on the go. Fold them up, put them in their case and tuck the package away in your backpack, suitcase, or purse.

One thing you’ll start to notice the more that you look at different pairs of headphones is that it’s pretty much 50/50 when it comes to having folding designs or not. Usually it’s preferable to have the folding feature for similar reasons to the ones listed above.

Proper Storage Goes A Long Way

Proper storage (yes, even for headphones) goes a long way towards preserving the overall lifespan of your gear. It’s a good rule of thumb to follow if you plan on getting long term usage from your mic, monitors, or speakers.

Also, since both ear cups have the swivel feature, if you set them down both swiveled towards the table or chair, you’ll be less likely to accidentally sit on them at an awkward position and break them.

Breaking a pair of headphones sucks worse than getting a flat on the highway in the middle of winter. (Okay maybe not that bad but it’s definitely not fun.) As is the case with most things, if you take care of them, they’ll take care of you.

What Do The Consumers Think?

Out of over 4,000 customer reviews on Amazon, the M50 are very highly-reviewed and have an almost perfect 5 STAR SCORE. One thing you can’t deny is the overwhelming customer satisfaction with this pair of headphones.

Take a look at the review table below to see what features we used to calculate our final rating out of 10! There, you can also see one final pros/cons checklist.

Did you enjoy our Audio Technica ATH M50 Review? Hopefully most of your questions were answered! If not, feel free to comment below and ask us anything about what was covered. I always do my best to respond in a timely manner and appreciate you taking the time to read through this review!

I love myself a great pair of headphones, for different reasons…I’ve owned way too many pairs over the years – ones for jogging, another for riding, another for mixing song compositions…I’m super picky about exactly how I want instruments, vocals, and bass to be heard in the headphones – it just makes a huge difference depending on what pair you buy. You describe these so well, I want to put them on and listen to the exact song you listened to writing the review! BTW – your whole site is pretty rockin.

Hello Dom!
I really like a good pair of headphones. I own some because I like listening to music or podcasts when I go to the gym or at home but lately, I’ve been thinking of purchasing a higher quality pair. I’m not a pro DJ or anything, I just like a good quality sound. Do you think there are appropriate for me?

I think that if you’re in the market for a solid, quality pair of headphones for commute listening, personal at-home listening, or any other listening you might want to do these would be a GREAT place to start.

I could definitely use a pair of these! I love good over-the-ear headphones, especially noise cancelling ones. They have a cool design too.

One thing that is a deal-breaker for me when it comes to headphones, is the weight and material of the actual headset itself. Quality aside, I like to have a solid piece of hardware, not a flimsy piece of plastic. I’m sure you can appreciate where I’m coming from.

I didn’t notice anything anywhere in your review about what they’re made of. Are they entirely plastic? Or do they have a good, solid metal band through the top? I like a heavy set of headphones!

I definitely hear your concerns, but these are not by any means a “flimsy piece of plastic” although they are partially constructed with durable plastic materials. The headband is made of synthetic leather and the ear pads feature the same type of covering.

I’m not exactly sure what material hides underneath the headband covering. (Audio-Technica has to keep some of their secrets to themselves.)

Although they are more lightweight than some headphones, they are built that way so you can wear them for hours at a time without them getting too uncomfortable. If DURABILITY is your main concern, I would suggest the LP2s or V-Moda XS, which both feature MILITARY-LEVEL durability.

All in all your gear WILL hold up for quite some time if you take care of it 🙂